An immersive sandbox MMORPG gaming experience for players brave enough to step outside the industry mold!
Read More
349
backers
$86,835
pledged of $750,000 goal
Replay with sound
An immersive sandbox MMORPG gaming experience for players brave enough to step outside the industry mold!
About this project
Read our interview on gamebreaker.tv
Update #14 - Details of a Spell
Update #13 - Exploring The Depths
Update #12 - Falling - For Your Entertainment
Update #11 - Poem of the Pickthorn Ghost
Update #9 - The Mighty Mawktopus!
Update #7 - A New Player Race and Graywalkers: Purgatory
Update #6 - Kicking It Forward, An Endorsement, FAQ Update, and an Interview!
What is Trials of Ascension?
Trials of Ascension is a player-driven, sandbox MMO set in the fantasy world of TerVarus that challenges some of the conventions of the modern MMO with unique features. It will allow the player a lot of latitude to change the game world and tell their own story instead of just churning through pre-scripted content set up by the developers. You’ll be building and running kingdoms, forming alliances, harvesting resources, crafting goods, exploring the wilderness, and waging war. We won’t be telling you what to do with your character or in what order, that’s up to you. Sure, you’ll need food and water to survive, but the rest of your endeavors will be governed by your own desires and your interactions with other players. We’ll give you plenty of backstory and lore about the world of TerVarus to get the ball rolling, but the real story will be uncovered and told by the players. There aren’t going to be any NPC quests, but you can bet your fellow players will need your help collecting resources, transporting goods, defending the settlement and exploring TerVarus, so there will be plenty to do, and we’ll top it off with an ever-present team of Game Masters that are charged with interacting with you to spice things up, which might be familiar to some of you old-timers.
We really wanted to focus on individuality, so ToA features skill-based progression. No classes, no levels, just individual skills that you raise by using those skills. There are over 40 unique skills planned for Trials of Ascension at launch, and you’re free to mix and match them any way you want, so there are plenty of options to make your character unique. Wanna mix a bit of culinary with a bit of swords? No problem, go on and start using those two skills and you’ll get better at them. Want to really specialize in interrogation and just dabble in stealing and lockpicking? Great. Wanna be a jack-of-all-trades? Go for it!
Each skill also has one or more techniques that allow you further specialization within that skill and you go up the ladder. For example, the blacksmithing skill will have forming, tempering and balancing techniques. As your blacksmithing skill increases, you’ll be able to enhance one or more of these techniques and reap the benefits.In the case of crafting, players with high level of specialization in different techniques will be able to cooperate with one another to create masterwork items. [learn more]
Ever stumble upon something unexpected while exploring in an MMO? Monsters you've never seen or heard of? A dungeon that's not on the map? New species of flora with as-of-yet unknown medicinal purposes? Probably not. But that's the kind of thing that's going to happen a lot in ToA, thanks to dynamic spawning. Dynamic spawning gives us devs and our GMs a toolkit to control everything from the number of trees that spawn in a certain biome (after you've cut down the originals for lumber) and how fast, to where a camp of orcs might take root and how many of them show up before an orc chieftain hits the scene. And the great thing is, we can keep 'em moving. Once you rout that orc camp they will be GONE. But you can be sure that another challenge or discovery awaits you in another location, just when you least expect it. Not to mention that GMs will be able to drop in prebuilt dungeons at hidden locations, full of danger and mystery, and accessible for only limited amounts of time before collapsing! [learn more]
Combat in MMOs has a reputation for being... well, awful. Standing there, mashing some hot keys, locking onto a giant rat and whacking it every, oh, 3-4 seconds between spells of inexplicable torpor. We're going for something much more fluid, intuitive, and skill-based for ToA. At its most basic level, it boils down to right-click to attack with your weapon, left-click to guard with your shield. AND YOU HAVE TO AIM. No AFK combat here. We spice it up by giving you the ability to dodge with a little double-tap of the movement keys. Then things really get interesting when you mix in some of the techniques you've picked up as you've advanced your weapon skill. These get assigned to 1 of 5 hot-keys, which will toggle them on and off as the active strategy for your next strike. Things like a "disarm" strike that attempts to knock your opponent's weapon loose. But be aware, every strike has it's counter, and a seasoned opponent will be reading your every move to try to stay one step ahead of you! [learn more]
We’re handling death unlike any game out there. Each character will start with 100 life counters, and lose one upon each death. When you character loses their last life counter, they’re gone. Done. Kaput. Sound cruel? We think it’ll grow on you. Why implement something so Draconian? We really want to change the way you make decisions in the game and the meanings of your actions. Most MMOs these days have very few consequences for death. The result is mindless zergs and a bloat of high-level characters vying for minor advantages by collecting overpowered items. With our 100-life limit, every decision you make counts, and no one can be top dog forever. ToA will be open PvP, but the decisions you make about which fights you pick will probably go a long way in determining how long your character is able to survive. Taking it a step further, we’re getting rid of conning so you won’t be able to judge how strong your opponents are just by clicking on them. Is that character in ragged clothes a novice or a powerful mage in disguise? That’s your risk to take, but know that guessing wrong could cost you a life counter. The death system is fundamental to ToA’s design, and we think that the more you learn about the game the more you’ll see how essential it is. [learn more]
ToA isn't just about fighting. Far from it! Crafters will have their hands full trying to keep everyone fed, clothed, armed, and housed. You will not see the MMO tradition of 'combine, click, create' in ToA. Nearly every item will require a multi-step process, each of which may offer the crafter options to enhance the item based on the techniques he has learned. Collaboration between skilled specialists will be essential to creating the highest quality of items, known as masterwork items. Want to leave your mark in the world as a crafter? I mean literally leave your mark? You can! You can place a makers mark on each and every item you help craft, letting people all over TerVarus know who made that item they love so much! [learn more]
One of the features that we’re really excited about is our Innovations system. This is something that we don’t think anybody else is doing, and it really goes a long way to making your character unique. Every time your character uses a skill they’ll have a chance of discovering an Innovation relevant to that skill that is rare and possibly unique on your server. Think of it like a “eureka” moment. That Innovation will be something your character can use to, say, do something new in combat, or enhance a craftable item, or create a new type of item altogether. The exciting part is that it’s up to you whether you share your knowledge with other players, and at what price. Be forewarned, some skilled players will be able to extract Innovations from a player via the interrogation skill, but it won’t be easy. Not only do Innovations make for exciting gameplay and character development, they also allow an avenue for us developers to organically introduce a ton of new content into the game over time.
[learn more]
Forget everything you know about magic in MMOs, because we’re doing it differently. Magic in ToA is rare, and if you want to be a mage you’re going to have to earn it. That means crafting your own spellbook for starters. To learn spells, you’ll have to travel the dangerous wilds of TerVarus in search of powerful arcane creatures, vanquish them, then find the required components to cast the spells they bestow. The spells you can acquire vary widely in their effects, but believe me, they will be VERY powerful. Enhance your spells over time and they can become truly awesome. It’s a long and dangerous road to mage-dom, but a rewarding one. If you manage to get there, be prepared to attract a lot of attention, both good and bad. Entire settlements may vie for your allegiance, or place an exorbitant bounty on your head. It won’t be for everyone, but it’ll definitely be an exciting challenge for the brave few.
[learn more]
The kingdom and its settlement(s) are the absolute core of gameplay in ToA. Sure, some of you are all about playing the loner, the bandit, the man above the law and, well... good luck. Seriously, good luck, we'd love to have some of you succeed at that! But for pretty much everyone else, the settlement is where you put down your roots, build your private home, meet like-minded folks, and begin your adventures in TerVarus. It'll be the place where you find your favorite crafters, cooks, merchants and doctors and hear about the latest innovations. And most of all, with the help of NPC guards your king, queen, or lord has hired, it'll be a safe refuge in the dangerous world of TerVarus. You'll form a deep sense of pride and commitment to your settlement as you get to know the people there, defend it from marauding monsters, and repel the advances of kingdoms with imperialist ambitions. We think that settlement pride is something that many players will carry with them from character to character, choosing to restart after permadeath in the same place where they last hung their hat.
Itching to strike out and create your own kingdom with a few comrades? In ToA, all you need is a few skilled friends to strike into the wild and find a new place to declare your home and dominion. That part's easy. Then you begin the hard work of constructing your settlement while defending it from other kingdoms with expansion on their mind along with untold creatures looking to snack on a citizen or three. [learn more]
All structures in ToA, ranging from small wooden houses to the largest of stone keeps, will be player built, owned, and maintained. This means you can buy your plot of land, choose the type of home you want and contract with local crafters to build it for you. Once they've done their part, which could take some time because they have to actually build it (no insta-inflatable housing here!), you're free to move in and decorate your house just the way you like it. [learn more]
We could go on a heck of a lot longer talking about all of the features and nuances you'll find in the game, from the reputation system that thwarts ganking to how different healing is, but instead I’m going to encourage you to read all about the ins and outs of the game on our website.
------------------------------ Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! ------------------------------
Brian Fargo of inXile Entertainment master-minded the idea of the "Kicking It Forward" concept and we love love love the idea, so we're jumping in with both feet!
Once Trials of Ascension launches, we promise to pledge 5% of our profits to other Kickstarter projects that, like us, are looking to and believe in their audience to fund their dreams.
We consider these add-ons to be incredibly special and want to make them available only to those that believe in us the most - our backers. That is why we are only making these items available during our Kickstarter. In other words...
THIS MAY BE YOUR ONLY OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE THESE ITEMS!!
To purchase add-ons:
Click the "Manage Pledge" button at the top of this page. If you haven’t backed our Kickstarter yet, the button will read "Back This Project". There is no need to change your current pledge tier unless you also want to change it while you are on this screen.
Increase your pledge in the "Pledge Amount" box by the total dollar amount of the add-on(s) you wish to purchase minus the number of add-on points that comes with your reward tier.
For example, you want to pledge at the $75 Expert tier. That tier gives you 10 add-on points. You decide you want a firefly (and who wouldn't?!) for $15, a ten pack of bless scrolls for $24, and two treasure maps for $3 each. That means you need to pledge an extra $45, but since you already have 10 add-on points from your tier reward, you'll only need to pledge an extra $35.
Please note that all add-ons require a base pledge of $25 or higher.
When our Kickstarter campaign concludes you will receive a survey that will allow you to select how you would like to spend your add-on points.
We’re asking for $750,000 dollars to produce ToA. This budget would have been laughable for an MMO when we were first developing ToA back in the early-2000s, but with our “less is more” design approach, incredible tools like the HeroEngine, and our head-start on development, we’re confident that we can meet our goals within that budget.
We’ve got a great start going with the team we have, but we can't do it all ourselves. That's why the bulk of your pledges will go toward hiring additional staff to flesh out our team, as well as securing office space and the necessary hardware to get them rolling. About 10% of your pledges will cover the Amazon and Kickstarter fees and another roughly 5-7% will go toward reward fulfillment.
Risks and challenges
A project of this scope and complexity comes with inherent risks. We plan on mitigating those risks by using the experience we gained while building ToA's first prototype combined with the skills of industry specialists that we'll bring onto our team with our Kickstarter funds.
Additionally, we are using incredibly powerful development tools such as the HeroEngine that allow us to iterate quickly and effectively, therefore cutting development time dramatically.
Finally, we are developing the most important and vital systems first, all the while ensuring there is a zero-sum increase on the scope of the project.
Learn about accountability on KickstarterFAQ
-
All dates are from the close of the Kickstarter:
Forum badge - 1 month
postcard - 2 months
silver beta coin - 2 months
beta gold coin - 2 months
alpha coin - 2 monthsdigital poster - 3 months
t-shirt - 6 months
poster - 6 months
tombstone - 6 months
cloth map - 6 months
concept art - 6 months
design an artifact - 6 months
voice recording - 6 monthsalpha access - 10 months
beta gold access - 13 months
silver beta access - 16 months
in-game tabard - 18 months
name in monolith - 18 months
npc name - 18 months
digital concept art - 18 months
in-game house - 18 months
in-game headstone - 18 months
unique crest - 18 months
custom statue - 18 months
monument - 18 months
starting settlement - 18 months
visit studio - 18 months
wall art - 18 monthsdigital collectors book - 20 months
collectors book - 20 months -
ToA will be free to download. We will offer all new players a month of access to the full game for free. After that you will have 3 options:
1. A monthly subscription, which we expect to cost around $12.
2. Pre-paid game time. With this option, you will purchase a certain number of hours of game time. When you log in, we will deduct from your pre-paid game time for each minute you play, up to one hour. After one hour, you will not be charged for any further game time within a 24 hour period of the start of your play session, even if you play more than that. In other words, if you play ToA for five minutes within a 24 hour period, five minutes will be deducted from your game time balance. However, if you play ToA for six hours, only 60 minutes will be deducted from your game time balance. We haven't decided on pricing here, but it's intended as an economical option for the player who has more limited play-time.
3. Writs of Time. A Writ of Time will cost roughly $18 and can be redeemed for one month of unlimited game play. It can also be traded or sold to any player in-game (who can in turn redeem it or trade it). A percentage of WoT purchases will be donated to a charitable cause, which will be identified on our website and rotated periodically, but could include something like KickingItForward.org.
-
We’ve put a lot of thought into this, talked to our community, and come up with the model that makes the most sense for ToA. Free to play is great for some games, but given ToAs nature any sort of cash shop would either be pay-to-win, or severely damage the in-game potential of innovations (we want players making, selling, and innovating those cosmetic items).
-
ToA will be distributed via download only. There will be no physical version of the game. We are trying to keep fulfillment costs to a minimum and this was one way we could achieve that.
-
We are developing ToA for the PC. Mac and Linux versions might be considered post-launch.
-
Absolutely! We have pared down the design to its essentials and the list of art assets (which typically eat up a significant portion of the budget) are minimal when compared to your average MMO.
Our chosen engine has allowed us set an incredible development speed.
Marketing usually takes a huge chunk out of a game's budget. We have grown ToA by word of mouth and nothing more. We will continue that approach through development, so all funds will go to the building of the game, not to buy mega-booths at trade shows and the like.
Lastly, building a sandbox MMO is cheaper than a big themepark. Early on we adapted a "less is more" philosophy to our designs and development approach and so far it has paid off in spades.
-
Yes. If you pledge at the Alpha level you will also have access to Beta Gold and Beta Silver. If you pledge at the Beta Gold level you will also have access to Beta Silver.
-
When our Kickstarter campaign has concluded, we will send you a survey so you can tell us what add-ons you would like. After verifying everything is correct, we will email you a list of redemption codes, one for each add-on.
Once the game launches, you will be able to enter your redemption codes with at any treasury.
-
Yes. What you do with the redemption codes we email you is your business.
-
If we achieve our funding goal, we will open a PayPal option on our website.
-
You must add it to your pledge.
Support this project
Funding period
- (30 days)